National defense upgrade

Despite the gravity of the problems that President Benigno S. Aquino III inherited from the previous administration, he still managed to crack some jokes in his second State of the Nation Address (Sona).

Referring to the issue of national security vis-a-vis the Philippine claim to the Spratly Islands, P-Noy narrated a story about previous stand-offs in the disputed territory.

One night, the story goes, Philippine marines were stumped by the sight of cannons trained at them. Because they didn’t have the necessary firepower to respond, they countered by cutting down a coconut tree, painted its trunk black and aimed it back at the enemy.

I had a good laugh over this story, and although P-Noy wondered whether this incident was true or not, I felt like crying because the anecdote was meant to describe the sorry state of the Philippine military on many fronts.

If one needs to know what is ailing the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he only has to review the plunder case filed against former military comptroller Gen. Carlos Garcia, who amassed at least P302.27 million while in active AFP service. The other iconic representation of graft in the military is the way ordinary soldiers are equipped—with low-grade weapons and poor quality accoutrements like boots and uniforms that strangely fade and wear off after one wash. The obverse side of the coin shows high-ranking military officials going on foreign vacations with their wives in tow, living off the fat of the land.

Before I digress, P-Noy in his Sona announced the country is well on its way to upgrading its security operations, beginning with the acquisition of a Hamilton Class Cutter.

A quick peek at Wiki yielded this information: the Hamilton Class Cutter is a large, modern vessel equipped with a helicopter flight deck, retractable hangar and facilities to support helicopter deployment. In the US, where this was bought, the primary mission of the vessel is enforcement of laws and treaties, as well as search and rescue on the high seas.

The Hamilton Class Cutter may have already reached Philippine territory and with the arrival here of the commander of the United States Pacific Command, Admiral Robert F. Willard, P-Noy is primed to pronounce anew his strong position on the Spratlys issue. Admiral Willard’s scheduled three-day visit within the week is timed with the arrival of the Hamilton Class Cutter and this will undoubtedly send a lot of signals to China, whose claim to the West Philippine Sea is based mainly on its bullying skills.

P-Noy assured the AFP, Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice of more capability upgrades and modern equipment like helicopters and patrol crafts, and weapons which the government will purchase in bulk to get a significant discount.

Military officials adept at tongpats will now consider early retirement because P-Noy has virtually turned off the faucets in the procurement system. It simply goes to show “how far we can go with good governance; we can buy equipment at good prices, without having to place envelopes in anyone’s pockets,” that’s according to P-Noy in his Sona.

There will never be unanimity of opinion in the political arena but even die-hard supporters of the former president were taken aback by the magnitude of corruption perpetrated by her allies in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Pagcor and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.

Still, if P-Noy’s performance during his first year in office has to be evaluated, the best judge would be the Philippine Stock Exchange.

It has always been said that business—in particular, movements in the trading of equities—serve as weather vane for foreign governments and investors.

Corrupt governments breed authoritarian rule which results in loss of civil liberties that leads to chaos, civil wars and eventually loss of confidence by legitimate and upstanding businessmen, the types who don’t make money out of kowtowing to the high and mighty.

In his Sona, P-Noy pointed out the Philippine stock market’s stellar performance under his administration—seven record highs in the past year. When the PSE reached its first 4,000 points last year, many thought it was pure tsamba, but for the operator of securities roundly accomplishing 4,000 points seven times in the past year, that’s no longer a fluke. I heard PSE chairman Hans Sicat saying on national TV that the business sector cites good governance as the main driver for the favorable trend in stock trading.

Moreover, the country’s prudent fiscal policies are clear for credit ratings agencies to see —P23 billion in savings in just four months, enabling the government to extend conditional cash transfers for some 2.3 million poor families for the entire year. Credit ratings agencies like Moody’s, Standard and Poors, Fitch and Japan Credit Ratings Agency took note and upgraded the country’s credit ratings.

If the Aquino administration makes good its plan to elevate the case on the West Philippine Sea to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, he will do so under tremendous political and economic gains.

This augurs well for the interest of the country.